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City adds and axes some committees and task forces

The city of Terrace created a new task force Jan. 3 set to deal with the fate of the Greig Ave. Co-op property.

Also, the city decided during the same Jan 3. committee of the whole meeting to axe its liaison to two external bodies, create a new committee if its own and cancel a city-made health task force.

Liaisons were removed from the health services task force, which has been dismantled, and also from the Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce board. Along with the Co-op property task force, a First Nation Relations Committee was created. Also, a liaison with the Terrace Downtown Merchants' Association was switched to one being appointed to the Terrace Business Improvement Area Society.

“It's a task force that I talked about during the election campaign,” said mayor Dave Pernarowski of the Co-op property task force.“I felt it was important that we create a task force to come up with a specific action plan for council inside a specific timeline.”

The task force will have roughly one year to collect information and make a recommendation to council, he said.

“We'll look at some of the opportunities that could come through private development,” said Pernarowski, “or partnerships with the city to do a combination of private development through community space concepts.”

Currently, two city councillors have been appointed to the task force, however appointments will be formalized at tonight's city council meeting.

Councillors James Cordeiro and Brian Downie were selected by Pernarowski for the job.

More community representation will be added to the task force in the coming weeks.

Suggested by councillor Marylin Davies, a First Nations relations committee was also set up.

“It's a way for us to regularly communicate with our First Nations neighbours ... a way to work through issues that are affecting [all] of our communities,” said Pernarowski.

Pernarowski explained the difference between a committee and a task force is that the latter usually has a specific solution or recommendation to achieve.

The city body, which was axed from the roster for the coming term, is the health services task force.

“Right now we've got pretty good connections through Northern Health and the hospital board,” said Pernarowski, explaining that formerly a task force was put together which focused on attaining a new build on Mills Memorial Hospital.

He added if something new, specific, and health related comes up, a task force will be re-looked at. For now, it no longer exists.

Outside of city-created bodies, a liaison was removed from the Terrace and District Chamber of Commerce board.

“The Chamber of Commerce is a business lobby group that typically comes to council with ideas and lobby efforts just like they would to any other level of government,” said Pernarowski. “For us to have a council member sitting on the board ... didn't make sense.”

A city liaison was also removed from the Downtown Merchants' Association and instead appointed to the Terrace Downtown Improvement Area Society, which is similar.

Council liaison appointments to all committees, task forces, groups and the like will be formalized by the city during tonight's council meeting.

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